Alex Palou has already revealed how his data compares to Max Verstappen amid Red Bull links

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Formula 1 hasn’t seen an IndyCar star make the leap into the series for nearly a decade.

The last time a driver switched from IndyCar into Formula 1 full-time involved Red Bull, when they signed four-time Champ Car champion Sebastian Bourdais.

Bourdais won the championship every year between 2004 and 2007, but his time in F1 didn’t go as planned.

He scored six points in 27 Grand Prix before being dropped midway through the 2009 campaign and replaced by F1’s youngest racer at the time, Jaime Alguersuari.

Pietro Fittipaldi spent two races at Haas as a stand-in for Romain Grosjean after his huge crash in Bahrain in 2020, but that was the last time a driver moved from IndyCar to F1.

That could all change next year, as Red Bull have been linked with Alex Palou for 2026.

Palou, like Bourdais, is also a four-time world champion and has been the standout driver in the series for some time.

The Spaniard started his racing career in Europe and has plenty of previous experience coming up against Max Verstappen, who would be his teammate if a move could be secured between Red Bull and Chip Ganassi.

READ MORE: Will Buxton shares what he would ‘love and hate’ about IndyCar star Alex Palou signing for Red Bull

Alex Palou has already revealed how he compares to potential Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen

Both Palou and Verstappen are four-time champions, but how they would fare against each other would be fascinating to see.

In an interview with Always Race Day earlier this year, Palou said: “Max, he was my teammate in go-karts.

“He is an amazing driver, and he’s probably the fastest in a single seater. So, yeah, I don’t know where I stand, but for sure not at those levels. Hopefully one day.

Two years ago, while speaking to the Spanish site AS, Palou gave more details and explained: “I wouldn’t be at the level of fighting with Max [in F1 with a Red Bull].

“I know this because I do a lot of simulator work with him and we share a lot of data, and he’s a special case.”

While Palou and Verstappen were teammates in go-karting, Palou was always a level below the Dutchman heading into major championships.

It meant their paths never quite overlapped, despite being two generational talents.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

What is Alex Palou’s stance on joining Red Bull in 2026 and racing alongside Max Verstappen?

Team principal Laurent Mekies will hope that Yuki Tsunoda can turn his form around after the summer break and avoid Red Bull needing to dip into the driver market.

Mekies has told Tsunoda what he must do to retain his F1 seat, but whether he, or the RB21, are capable of that is another matter.

A report from the Spanish outlet MARCA has shared more details about Palou’s stance on a potential move to Red Bull.

After contacting Palou’s camp and manager, it’s believed they have a ‘negative’ response to links with Red Bull.

Not only this, but it’s been said that the Spaniard isn’t interested in racing for any Formula 1 team at this stage.

“We haven’t spoken to anyone from Formula 1 about Alex,” Roger Yasukawa, Palou’s manager, told the newspaper.

Palou and Verstappen are teammates in sim racing, and have a ‘good personal relationship’, but that appears to be as far as it’s going to go ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season.